As humans we know it is important for us to exercise to maintain our health, and the same is to be said about sales, completing sales training exercises to maintain the health of our sales cadence.

Have a Goal and a Plan

We all exercise for a reason. For some, the goal is to shed weight or build muscle, for others it is to reduce stress and improve cardiovascular fitness.  Tied to that, to achieve those goals we all need a “Workout Plan”.   That covers everything from the time commitment, to what you will be doing, when you are doing it and how to gauge your results based on your goals.  From an exercise perspective an example would be:

• • Work out 4x per week for 1 hour (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat)

• • 15 minute warm up

• • 45 minute exercises

• • Check weight once per week in the mornings every Friday (before the fun eating and drinks on the weekend)

• • Check waistline measurement once per week every Friday morning 

Your B2B sales training exercise or plan could be something similar in a way:

• • Work 75% of every day per week on outbound sales activities

• • Work 25% of every day per week on research and admin work 

• • Update CRM daily with activities and deals and review once per week with sales manager

• • Track sales conversion rates in the funnel monthly

Be Consistent

It is true that  half the battle with working out is just getting your gym shorts on.  Many people struggle with the consistency, and just like working out to achieve your goals, sales is no different.  You need to give it consistent effort over the long-term to be successful.  Sales training is similar, instead of looking to lose weight, you are looking to grow your qualified prospect and new customer base.  In B2B sales, this takes time.  Success is a long-term play here.  Intermittent start and stop selling does not work.  You need to continue to press no matter what.

Persevere and Don’t Give Up

Raise your hand if meeting your fitness goals comes easy?  Right, nothing comes easy.  All your wins are hard fought. It is always a grind and there are times like you feel you won’t achieve your fitness goals.  B2B sales is the exact same, it is hard, it is a grind, it takes ongoing effort and resilience  There will be setbacks.  Just remember, every “no” is one step closer to that “yes,” and if you continue to train and flex that sales muscle, you will be on a path of success. 

Try Something New 

You should be changing up your fitness routines on a regular basis so your body keeps gaining.  As such, the same can be said for your B2B sales efforts.  Whether you change up your sales cadence or your messaging or your ideal buyer persona, keeping things fresh is important.  Don’t be afraid to try new things, and train yourself to settle into this mindset. 

One More Rep

Similar to working out, getting that last rep in and then one more is key to growth.  Sales is similar, making that one extra call, doing that extra bit of research to find a prospect all leads to greater things down the road.  Although that 1 rep in itself is small, just like that one additional call or email, they add up over time. 

As you’ve seen here, there are similarities to physical fitness and that of sales training, and if you look at them both in this light, you may be able to lean into the idea that sales training exercises can help you grow and prosper as a sales person. 
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